School Conditions That Support Reflection
Professional learning teams will be most effective in schools where conditions are right for reflection. A group of educational coaches in Melbourne, Australia, has developed a rubric for school leaders' assessment of how reflection is supported in their schools. They have been kind enough to allow me to post it here. (Special thanks to Leonie King who led the project!)
Engaging Teachers in Professional Learning Teams (PLTs)
Engagement in PLTs has two facets: feeling welcome and choosing to be present. In other words, teachers engage in PLTs when they sense that others want them there and when they themselves want to be there.
Some tips for learning leaders who want to promote teacher engagement in professional learning teams:
- Ensure that learning teams are purposeful. Sometimes the most successful teachers are the ones who are lukewarm about PLTs, because they don't see the value in spending their time in such groups. However, when the work of PLTs clearly leads to greater student success, most teachers readily join in.
- Emphasize that the work of PLTs is to think deeply about: information about students (i.e. data), the content of instruction (curricula, standards, and benchmarks), and effective pedagogy. This will lead to more purposeful discussions.
- Keep learning teams small. It is easier to feel welcome and engaged with four people than with ten.
- Demonstrate your own respect for all teachers, regardless of experience, background, viewpoints, or current levels of success, to serve as model for members of PLTs.
- Suggest that PLTs rotate the role of facilitator, perhaps every two months. It is hard to be disengaged when one has to facilitate periodically.
- Include in your supervisory conversations with teachers questions about their participation in PLTs and the differences that result for them and their students. The discussion will convey your expectations while also giving you a chance to learn about teachers' experiences on PLTs.